There was a scary moment at Ford Field in Week 4 when New Orleans Saints right tackle Ryan Ramczyk struggled to get to his feet after a hard collision, prompting him to exit the game against the Detroit Lions and enter the NFL concussion protocol.
But Ramczyk went through the procedures and was cleared to practice on a limited basis on Thursday and Friday, and now he’s ready to get back on the field after fully participating in Saturday’s practice session. He received no formal game status — out, questionable, or otherwise — in the final injury report, and the Saints should have him back in the starting lineup on Monday night against the Los Angeles Chargers.
His loss was felt immediately a week ago: the Saints struggled to move the ball against Detroit, with Ramczyk’s backup quickly allowing a sack. So getting him back is a tremendous upgrade. Ramczyk has been one of the NFL’s best right tackles since the Saints drafted him back in 2017, and they’ll need him to help contain superstar Chargers pass rusher Joey Bosa, who is officially questionable to play with triceps and knee injuries. Bosa has already created three sacks in his first four games; he’s bagged 44 sacks in his 57-game NFL career (including the playoffs).
Since being selected with the 31st pick in the 2017 NFL Draft out of Wisconsin, Ramczyk has started 56 of 57 possible games for the Saints (having been held out of a meaningless Week 17 game in 2018, after New Orleans secured the No. 1 NFC playoff seed). He’s consistently graded as one of the five or six best right tackles in the league, and was recognized as an AP All-Pro in both 2018 (second team) and 2019 (first team).
